The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-11-30
JOSEF HorAASNs DEBUT.
TIE Ten.years.eid BOY Really . wonder
Last Evenips's Tests.

$40
Last Evening". Tests.
Ten-years-old Josef Hofmann, played to a
largo audience at the Metropolitan Opera
House last evening. and created a Juror. tits
safe to say that everybody went to the concert
with expectations pitched In IA high key. Every
thing had been done before the child's per-
formance to impress the public that he was q
wonder. and local pianist teachers and must
clans of other specialities we're plenty In tho
audience. 1t is not at this moment possible to
say TO what extent these experts Joined In tho
exhilarating enthusiasm OF the audience mt
large; but they could not have failedto feel 1.-THE
liveliest interest in the lads work. For josef
Holman is. as report has said, a wonder. He
possesses many of the characteristics and
som of the polish Of a great artist.
In listening to his unique performance 1t
was with the greatest difficulty that one could
divorce the child from the musician. That he
played q Beethoven concerto. q Weber-Liszt
polacca, and Lesser compositions by Rameau,
Chopin, and himself entirely from memory, and
Mt times with remarkable brilliancy and fine
miration for him as u phenomenally precocious
infant.
m TEs R Riss ysaeS S]snS sy aowss ss tne 0H Tld n lad g
had not played more than a few bars before the
audience r burst into the most ranturro re- apdi
%play-that, he possessed q facile technique.
perfect slf-possession End certainly a large
55 !essi DID ID a psrioTm sP !$e c]on anf; WITH, vi 'a !
1as ansh W aRG oO sminent S ana ss'h brins
did the fas'a audi aHss, inter 4sntn and fn again st a"d
again did the d%ifieulty arise 81 sepGrating
sindienceto his performances. It seemed de:
licious from the start. for there was no lack OF
nj Be sssains en sx sxPTisss @sio IN sse T Bat pTss:
emily there arose, a suspicion that the quail,
iT,t Of a,s his Is to touch SdsirS Was + y hn no , means peng' nall all
passages. This impression desepened as
the p,eie"ress. 5usftiieatIon possibIe near
the eIs sSow on sh q Ir;cE Was intr when 4 s Ss tSo
nGn%l S%nSltf In 5r .l,sf E4 for ,Ssrd'a a pian pik .1 Of
n}tsr yo; ySsr Jo sS PI hna a ne ls% msa tWo sret |, T ;ris
fles of his own composition. Instead of pro-
ceeding with the programme he ran back to
the green room, and Q sttalwnrt, broad faced
1t were n circus or a lcgerdenain exhibition:
Liniss AND GFSILEAEN; In order to convince y9n that
f fISf ,nst plesSf r' P RSSss WISHES wshe r soms s se%EGssa n Sy TN, Sai ssiI
S Srsn . e'%SiS 't ss. to thf n "ihna nn' % Rih' i { sSS5s %' so%s
This speech had rather a startling effect, but
no one moved until the Snowman continued:
Understand that Mons. Guriekx is in the hall If SO
NJ. Gurickx accordingly went to the platform.
and was introduced to Josef. and after n whis-
pered consultation for a moment, played with
one hand a plaintivc minor melody. This he
repeated, and then played it again, developing
mature powers was instantly apparent: there
was a touch at once sympathetic. finished; and
pure. No sharper contrast could have been
devised to show Enthusiastically the imperfec--
ton in ,Hofmann,s style. The boy then re
n Tsti t the msl pia grsstsJg e wi{b }panti. His nsd i%preYbi v
i IisSted part moro Hs inc in @ sS%1snfs ' than ,of In
discrimination but the effort did not add a
particle TO. the reputation Of the child. The
improvisation was. of a hackneyed order, and
represented only cleverness. on the part of the
composer. 1t was such work as any musician
who could play the greatest masterpieces from
memory should be able TO do
The lad lacks power, of course, and from the
point Of view of art his performance gradually
grows uninteresting. for the amaze mont at
first created by his technical ability and his
manifestation of native taste soon wears away,
Il great artist to stimulate attention.
But with all the defects that an expert will
see in his style, and that an eXcitable audience
will overlook. Josef Holman Is a child of as
founding ability and remarkable promise. He
is worth hearing. not only as a marvel. but as
Il musician, for in piano solos. when one Is not
made conscious Of his lack OF power by tie ten
der playing Of tho orchestra, he achieves a de-
gree OF breadth and brilliancy that is worthy Of
He is an independent performer. He takes
and modifes his tempt to suit himself, and is
so original in this respect that more %relears-
ing with the orchestra would be advisable. Mr..
Neuendorff Is an admirable conductor, but by
c%ulties, with his unique star. Josef behaves
likes the child that he is. His costume was
that OF an ordinary schoolboy. and his bows
and exits we're marked by the crude manner
interesting beyond his own efforts in several
orchestral numbers well performed.